“Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti,” said Hegde.

Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde on Friday slammed Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for celebrating Tipu Jayanti in the state and said that the day wasn’t far when the people will be asked to observe “Ajmal Kasab Jayanti”.

“Siddaramaiah celebrated Tipu Jayanti, it is a matter of time before he starts making you celebrate Kasab (Ajmal Kasab) Jayanti,” said Hegde.

Addressing a public meeting in Belgavi, Hegde slammed the state CM for side-lining the Kittur Chennamma festival, which has immense historical and cultural significance, in favour of state-wide festivities to mark Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary on November 10.

“Siddaramaiah did not celebrate Kittur Chennamma festival but he is busy celebrating Tipu Jayanti,” he said.

Kittur Chennamma was the Queen of Kittur, a princely state in Karnataka. She was one of the Indian female rulers to lead an armed rebellion against the British East India Company in 1824 because of the effect of doctrine of lapse. The resistance ended with her arrest and she became a symbol of the independence movement in India.

Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler opposed the British East India Company and using rocket technology in battle.

Furthering his attack on Siddaramaiah, Hegde said that the former is only after votes (of Muslims).

“This Siddaramaiah can do anything for votes as he needs only votes and nothing else. The Chief Minister can even lick boots of anybody for the sake of votes,” he said.

He also claimed that Karnataka has become a safe haven for criminals, asserting that Bangladeshi immigrants were responsible for the rising rate of violent crimes in the state.

"Karnataka has become a safe haven for criminals, there are 9 lakh Bangladeshis in Bangalore, you'll find immigrants in Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli, Dharwad and even in Kittur. Check under your legs, bombs could have been planted," he railed.

He further told the gathering: "You see those men wearing Jubbas (loose kurtas), they are Bandladeshis."

The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday told Rajya Sabha that as per the available data with the government, around two crore illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are living in India.